Fallout Rangers of the wastes
by Jonno-Davies
Summary: Survival is never easy. Fortunately the lonely wanderer had the luck to stumble across one who has lived in this post-atomic hell hole for some time. Together with their own expertise they attempt to make a difference in this unforgiving land.


Dometrius glanced over this shoulder as the heavy Vault door began to slide shut. He could see the Overseer standing with his arms folded, shaking his head in disappointment. Amata stood cowering next to her father trying to stifle a fit of sobs.

"If you lay one finger on her!" Yelled Dometrius over the whining of the alarm. The Overseer sneered and turned his back on the former resident. The door finally shut with a ground shaking thud and all was silent. I will come back for you. The exile turned to face the rickety door that led onto what was known as the wasteland. Bright, white light beamed through the slits in the wood. He struggled to look at it directly. Young Dometrius had never seen the sun before, with the exception of age old holotapes and faded, crumbling books. The lights inside the vault were on thing but this blazing ball of fire was something artificial light could not compete with. He grasped the sleeve of his jumpsuit and ripped away a length of material forming a makeshift blindfold. He wrapped it around his head obscuring his eyes. It did not block out all light but acted as make-shift polarizer. Only once his eyes had become accustomed to the light would he remove it. The risk of permanent damage to his retina's was all to great. A year ago there had been a large electrical surge causing one of the generators to overload. The burst of light had caused one of the engineers to become temporarily blind. His father had explained that all this. Dom checked to see if all his equipment was still in place. In his haste all he managed to attain was the 9mm Pistol Amata had given him and a small first aid kit. He reached forward and gingerly pushed open the door. A blast of heat hit him full on causing him to recoil slightly. Temperature in the Vault was kept at a constant 36 degrees, slightly below average body temperature. Dom stepped forwards through the door and into the unknown. For the first time ever his boots touched a surface other than the cold steel of his previous home. The crunching of gravel was a simple pleasure, but a welcome one all the same. Even through the blindfold the light caused him to squint. He felt his way around the door and sat with his back against the rocky wall. So much had happened within the past ten minutes. He could recall Amata's panic-stricken face as she questioned him about his fathers whereabouts and informed him of Jonas. Both Jonas and his father had played such large parts in his life, they had taught Dom everything he knew – and now their gone. At least his father was still alive. A pang of guilt hit home and Dometrius slouched back staring meekly at the dull white light.

He sat in silence for what felt like hours contemplating on the recent events. When he finally removed the blindfold the light stung his eyes, but the risk of blindness due to overexposure was significantly reduced. He glanced at his pipboy first. 9.14am – thirty minutes after exiting the vault. Then for the first time the young wanderer examined the spectacle that lay before him. The dry, baron wasteland stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful in a post-destructive-war kind of way.

"Better get used to it Dom" he muttered to himself. He finally got up and walked to the edge of a small cliff. Everything was in ruins. Houses lay in waste, plants shriveled up and dead, vehicles sat inoperable and dust clouds spun lazily across the cracked concrete roads. The contrast of being thrown from one extreme environment to the other was daunting and hung heavily on his mind. I need to find my father. I need answers. Dom glanced at his pipboy once more. He noticed that it had mapped the few steps he had taken away from the vault in surprising detail. He wondered how this was possible but did not bother to ponder upon it – it was going to be an invaluable tool in the struggles ahead and yet, at the same time it was his only tie to the life he had left behind – well, that and the large '101' he had plastered to the back of his current attire. He sighed. Where to begin? He began to ascend down a small cliff and wandered towards what remained of a large highway bridge. Questions began to form in his mind. Am I the only human alive outside the vault? What if I am? Where will I go? He continued his stroll but remained virtuous. He heard movement ahead. Dom quickly drew his pistol and thumbed what he assumed was the safety catch. He crouched and walked forward. The gun shook in his hands. The weapon felt foreign. The last time he fired a gun was on his 16th birthday. His mind drifted back to that day when his father and Jonas had given him a BB gun as a gift. He remembered the sickly feeling in his stomach when he shot the Radroach and sprayed its innards across the cold metal flooring of the Vault but smiled when he recalled his dad telling him he had slyly removed a spring from Jonas' switchblade in order to make the weapon operable. The Radroach's were an all too common vermin but he did not like killing them himself.

The movement ahead got steadily closer until it finally came into view. The creature was a biped – standing on four legs with pink, wrinkly skin and two large yellow barring teeth protruding from its ugly mouth. Its black beady eyes fixed upon Dom. He had never seen such a creature before. It ran towards him with an alarming burst of speed. The wanderer pulled the trigger but nothing happened.

"Oh shi..." The creature was on him in seconds, its large teeth sinking into the flesh of his arm. Dometrius screamed in pain as a large streak of crimson blood sprayed into the air. The creatures weight was pressing down on him and he could feel its jaw tightening around his arm. He screamed again and his vision began to blur. He knew he was going into shock but had to fight it. He had to get this creature off him. Dom swung the Pistol down as hard as he could and hit the creature across the head with the butt of the firearm. It wailed in shock and recoiled but went for him again. The pain in his arm was blinding, his strength sapped from his body. The creature took another run at him. The last thing Dom remembered was its head disappearing in a shower of tissue and bone and a tall figure standing in front of him with a rifle slung over his shoulder. He blacked out.


End file.
